FCM 36

Description

The Forges et Chantiers de la
Méditerranée FCM 36 or Char léger
Modèle 1936 FCM
was a light infantry-support tank
that entered
service with the French army in May 1938. It was much move expensive
that equivalent models from other manufacturers so only 100 were
built.

Development

The development plan of 1926 called for a cheap mass-produced light
tank to replace the Renault FT-17.
Renault developed the Char D1 to fulfil these requirements, but it was
neither cheap nor particularly light (being classed as a medium tank).
Following the combined exercises of 1932 and 1933, a plan was created
inviting French industry to tender designs. Seventeen
companies responded, five
submitted prototypes of which three were taken into
production: Hotchkiss H 35, Renault
R 35 and the FCM 36.
Although the FCM 36 was much more expensive than the other two,
it was also much more advanced and thus put into production because of
its development potential
with the idea that it would function as a testbed for further
improvements.

In March 1934 a wooden mock-up was delivered followed by the
first prototypes a year later. Being thought of as a testbed, it had
much less urgency than the other two types and the first tank was not
delivered until May 1938. The first production run of 100
tanks was completed on March 1939. A future 200 tanks were planned to
be ordered but when FCM doubled their already too high price production
was halted.

The FCM 36 had an advanced welded design with 30mm of armour
increased
to 40mm by welding an appliqué 10mm armour plate
on top of
the main armour. Unfortunately the quality of welding proved not to be
up to German standards. The armour had a futuristic design with an
octaganal turret, the sloped
surfaces were very advanced and gave better protection that
vertical armour as well as avoiding shot-traps.

One of its features which made it attractive to
the French military was that it was completely gas-proof. It also had a
modern diesel engine instead of the petrol engine used in most French
light tanks. This gave it better reliability and a longer operating
range.

Like the H 35 an R 35, the FCM 36 was armed with
the short barrelled 37mm SA18
gun. It is possible that a handful of tanks received the longer 37mm SA
38 gun.

Operation

The commander was very overworked in the one-man turret.
Apart from directing the driver and keeping in touch with other tanks
in his unit (by flags) the commander was also the main gunner
and loader. So in action he would have his head in the
cupola directing the driver, he would then have to spot the
target and jump down into the turret when he would load with the
correct ammunition, rotate the turret by hand onto the target, peer
through the gun-sight and set the range, finally fire the gun.

The driver had a hatch in
front of him which was usually left open when the tank moved behind the
lines but which would have been suicidal to have open in combat when he
relied on an observation slit and a episcope which necessitated
detailed instructions from the commander.

Both battalions of FCM 36, together with a battalion of R 35
tanks formed there 2nd Army's armoured reserve. The German 1st Panzer
Division under Heinz Guderien crossed the
Meuse at Sedan on May 13th and formed a bridgehead. The two FCM 36
battalions, each
supported by an infantry battalion, counterattacked on the 14th. They
encounterred German Panzer III tanks but the poor quality of the French
37mm SA 18 gun meant that they could not penetrate the Panzer III's
armour. The thick sloping armour on the FCM 36 meant that the superior
37mm gun on the Panzer III could not penetrate the FCM 36. A slugging
match occurred often at point blank range. Finally the appliqué
armour on the FCM 36 failed
and the French withdrew, out of ammunition and exhausted, leaving 26
tanks behind. They did however buy enough time to allow the 3rd DCR and
3rd DIM to deploy in order to meet the German advance. The French were
not helped by their lack of AP shells, the 7th BCC are known to have
followed the normal practice for infantry support tanks and only
carried 12 rounds of AP.

The Germans captured 50 vehicles but they were not
at first used. In 1942-43, desperate for tank destroyers, the now
famous
Alfred Becker
mounted 7,5cm PaK 40 anti-tank guns and 10,5 cm leFH 16/18 howitzers on
the FCM 36 chassis. These
were used by the 21st Panzer Division
with great success in Normandy 1944, especially against the British
during
Operation Goodwood.

Deployment

The FCM 36 light tanks were divided so as to equip two
independant tank battalions (BCC). These were unique in that
they were also know as
light tank
battalions: Bataillon de Chars Légèrs (BCL).
Tank battalions equipped with other makes of light tanks were not
called BCL.

10th May 1940

When the Germans's attacked the French army had the
following FCM 36 tanks on active service. The remaining 10 tanks were
used, five per battalion, as driver training vehicles.